Universe Today Podcast

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[Interview+] SpaceX's AI Data Centres Might Actually Be A Good Idea. Here's Why Mar 02, 2026

Show notes

SpaceX is pivoting towards the Moon from Mars. Big part of it is because they now want to build data centres in space. And on the Moon. Is it a good idea? Can it work? Actually, it just might.

🟣 Guest: Dr. Casey Handmer https://terraformindustries.com

📜 I guess we’re doing Moon factories now https://caseyhandmer.wordpress.com/2026/02/10/i-guess-were-doing-moon-factories-now/

Technology Connections' video mentioned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtQ9nt2ZeGM

[Space Bites+] Vera Rubin Is LIVE // NO Landing for Artemis 3 // Peeping Inside Uranus Feb 27, 2026

Show notes

BONUS STORY STARTS AT 20:50

🔭 Interview with Vera Rubin' Program Director Dr. Edward Ajhar: https://youtu.be/HQKswmYpxKE

🔵 Vote for the best story here: https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/posts

Vera Rubin is operational! A star turned directly into a black hole and another exploded as a supernova. New images of Uranus from Webb. And in Space Bites+, scanning K2-18b for signals from intelligent civilizations.

00:00 Intro
00:18 Vera Rubin is operational https://noirlab.edu/public/news/noirlab2605/?lang 03:05 Star goes un-nova https://www.universetoday.com/articles/no-supernova-needed-this-star-collapsed-directly-into-a-black-hole
05:31 Dark Matter Galaxy https://www.universetoday.com/articles/hubble-and-euclid-team-up-to-identify-a-dark-matter-galaxy
07:48 JWST Peeping Inside Uranus https://www.universetoday.com/articles/jwst-digs-into-the-uranian-ionosphere
08:40 Sun-Like Star Bubble https://www.universetoday.com/articles/nasa-telescope-spots-a-young-sun-like-star-inflating-its-astrosphere
10:50 Vote results https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/posts
11:47 NASA Updates https://www.universetoday.com/articles/nasa-is-preparing-to-roll-artemis-ii-rocket-back-into-the-hangar
14:36 Big restructuring for Artemis
16:03 Search for Exomoons Continues https://www.universetoday.com/articles/exomoons-could-reveal-themselves-through-lunar-eclipses
17:29 Supernova Progenitor Hid Behind a Thick Veil of Carbon Dust https://www.universetoday.com/articles/this-supernova-progenitor-hid-behind-a-surprisingly-thick-veil-of-carbon-dust
18:32 Jellyfish galaxy https://www.universetoday.com/articles/another-early-universe-surprise-from-the-jwst-a-jellyfish-galaxy
19:26 Cosmic Brain https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-cosmic-brain-as-seen-by-the-jwst
20:50 BONUS STORY https://www.universetoday.com/articles/are-there-aliens-broadcasting-from-hycean-world-k2-18b-astronomers-just-listened-in
22:43 More space news
22:19 What I learned from a recent interview

[Q&A+] State of The Voyagers, Dyson Sphere Construction, ELT Expectations | Q&A 401 Feb 26, 2026

Show notes

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 17:21

Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/dTMAWvRteaQ

How weathered are the Voyagers by now? Did we already start building the Dyson sphere? What should we expect from the Extremely Large Telescope? And in Q&A+, why do we prefer L2 Lagrange point for our telescopes?

00:00 Intro
00:24 [@Sora._Cloud] Is Parker doing well?
03:44 [@Lothian53] Does Dyson sphere need to feed power to Earth?
05:33 [@paulwilson1529] How weathered are the Voyagers?
08:03 [@madmillion91920110] What to expect from ELT?
11:18 [@stevenlewis7669] Shouldn't we be sending robotic scouts to the Moon?
14:55 [@jimmirow] Is there mold on the ISS?
17:21 [@lclaurindo] Why send telescopes to L2?

[Q&A+] Data Centers in Space. Genius or Just Dumb? Feb 25, 2026

Show notes

AI data centers are a hot topic for a lot of space companies. That includes SpaceX who have applied for putting a million satellites into orbit. So, is this a genius idea that will put more money into space exploration and boost orbital infrastructure? Or are we all cooked when the bubble will burst?

Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qwO0NKAIbqA

00:00 Intro
00:37 [@mrspaceman2764] How screwed up are we?
10:38 [@jpietersen519] How would Moon-made satellites circularise their orbits?
16:59 [@darthex0] Will orbital data centers shade the Earth?
19:43 Celebrating 400 Q&A episodes!

[Space Bites+] AMATERASU Cosmic Rays // Late Heavy Bombardment Doubts // Titan Bully Feb 20, 2026

Show notes

BONUS STORY STARTS AT 21:18

Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/a7TO-LHCCI4

The source of a powerful cosmic ray, did the late heavy bombardment actually happen? Did Titan create Saturn’s Rings? And James Webb is going to pin down the future orbit of YR4. And in Space Bites+, we might be able to intercept 3I/ATLAS.

00:00 Intro
00:18 Amaterasu Particles https://www.universetoday.com/articles/scientists-continue-to-trace-the-origin-of-the-mysterious-amaterasu-cosmic-ray-particle
03:18 Doubts for Late Heavy Bombardment https://www.universetoday.com/articles/new-lunar-samples-challenge-the-late-heavy-bombardment
06:58 Possible Origin of Titan and Saturn’s Ring https://www.universetoday.com/articles/an-ancient-merger-could-have-created-titan-and-the-debris-created-saturns-rings
08:48 Fading Star https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-mystery-of-the-fading-star
10:27 Bennu Samples Continue to Deliver Science https://www.universetoday.com/articles/scientists-make-a-game-changing-find-in-the-bennu-asteroid
12:19 Vote results https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/posts
13:13 Rotten Eggs and Exoplanets https://www.universetoday.com/articles/how-rotten-eggs-solved-an-exoplanet-mystery
15:38 Auroras on Ganymede https://www.missionjuno.swri.edu/news/university-of-liege-scientists-reveal-similarities
16:55 The Heart of Mira A’s Latest Outburst https://www.universetoday.com/articles/astronomers-get-to-the-heart-of-mira-as-latest-outburst
18:40 JWST to Observe
YR4 19:33 Succesful Artemis II WDR https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/02/19/nasa-begins-artemis-ii-launch-pad-ops-after-successful-fuel-test/
21:18 BONUS PART: Catching up with 3I/ATLAS https://www.universetoday.com/articles/a-new-concept-for-catching-up-with-3iatlas
23:20 Making money on YouTube

[Q&A+] Approaching Rogue Black Holes, Moon VS Mars, Other Oort Clouds Feb 19, 2026

Show notes

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 13:54

Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/JHFXyJmaHbw

Could we spot a black hole approaching us? Is the Moon just a distraction on the way to Mars? Why don't we see other stars' Oort clouds? And in Q&A+, can the make it rain on Mars?

00:00 Start
00:23 [@keithromig] Is the Moon a distraction from Mars?
04:10 [@vistotutti6037] Should we put a steam engine on the Moon?
06:25 [@ashd.007] What if a rogue black hole comes our way?
08:26 [@mrjp2149] A better description for a black hole
09:42 [@allixandra] Is the asteroid belt a failed planet?
10:46 [@EdSceptic-y2e] Why can't we see other stars' Oort clouds?
11:32 [@evandotpro] Is our view of other galaxies outdated?
12:56 [@Mark-Mattison] How does cosmological redshift work?
13:54 [@prugrade] Can they make it rain on Mars?

[Interview+] Complexity As a Driving Force of the Universe Feb 18, 2026

Show notes

BONUS PART STARTS AT 34:49

Why is time moving forward? Some find an answer in the Second Law of Thermodynamics. That entropy defines the arrow of time. But is there another force behind it? My guests think so. Diving into this concept in this interview.

🟣 Guests: Dr. Robert Hazen, Dr. Mike Wong

📚 Time's Second Arrow Evolution, Order, and a New Law of Nature https://miquai.myportfolio.com/times-second-arrow

🎧 Strange New Worlds Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/strange-new-worlds-a-science-star-trek-podcast/id1246395860

00:00 Intro
01:50 Order in the Universe
19:39 Biosignatures
27:11 Fermi Paradox
34:49 Star Trek
47:16 Current obsessions
51:56 Final thoughts

[Q&A+] Earth's Status, Black Hole Dark Matter, Figure-8 Orbits Feb 17, 2026

Show notes

Is Earth actually a planet or not? Can dark matter be just black holes? Can a planet have a figure-eight orbit around binary stars? And in Q&A+, what happens if you put antimatter into a black hole?

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 14:31

Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/K3fcY-cizn4

🌶️ Add to The Pile of Spice: https://www.patreon.com/posts/147346705

00:00 Start
00:25 [@churchdiscography] Is Earth not a planet?
02:02 [@paulhatfield1333] Can a planet have a figure-eight orbit?
04:03 [@lucashouse9117] Can dark matter be black holes?
06:59 [@clarkholt7892] What would a star remnant look like through a telescope?
09:04 [@andyfry.wireless] Are we in the center of the Universe?
10:56 [@iancudmore9795] Are there more space publishers like me?
14:31 [@irri4662] Does dark matter contribute to black holes?

[Space Bites+] SpaceX Turns Away from Mars // Venus Lava Tube Confirmed // China's Moon Rocket Test Feb 13, 2026

Show notes

BONUS STORY STARTS AT 14:28

A lava tube found on Venus, China tests its new capsule and softlands a rocket, SpaceX shifts focus from Mars to the Moon, and in Space Bites+, 5 galaxies colliding in the early Universe.

00:00 Intro
00:16 New image from EHT https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-collaboration-that-brought-you-the-first-image-of-a-black-hole-just-released-photos-of-its-massi
02:19 Lava Tube on Venus https://www.universetoday.com/articles/massive-venus-lava-tube-detected-using-data-from-nasas-long-defunct-magellan-spacecraft
04:43 China's Moon Rocket Test https://news.cgtn.com/news/2026-02-11/VHJhbnNjcmlwdDg5MDIw/index.html
06:25 SpaceX pivots from Mars to Moon https://www.universetoday.com/articles/spacex-makes-a-huge-pivot-wants-to-build-on-the-moon-instead
08:21 Another possible explanation for Little Red Dots https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-little-red-dots-observed-by-webb-were-direct-collapse-black-holes
11:17 Vote results https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/posts
11:55 Possible bright comet alert https://www.universetoday.com/articles/new-sungrazer-comet-a1-maps-could-be-bright-in-early-april-if-it-survives-perihelion
13:46 More of 3I/ATLAS https://www.universetoday.com/articles/nasas-spherex-mission-spots-3iatlass-bright-envelope
14:28 BONUS STORY: 5 galaxy merger https://www.universetoday.com/articles/cosmic-collision-the-jwst-found-an-early-5-galaxy-merger
16:23 Why SpaceX plans make sense

[Q&A+] Ancient Venus Civilization, Dark Matter, Great Attractor Feb 13, 2026

Show notes

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 16:22

Could Venus be turned into hell by an ancient civilization that lived on it? Why Dark Matter is not a theory? What's up with all the Great Attractor videos on YouTube? And in Q&A+, what's the current state of lava tube exploration?

👉 Dark Matter in NOT a Theory https://youtu.be/PbmJkMhmrVI

👉 Channels mentioned
https://www.youtube.com/@AstroAF/
https://www.youtube.com/@MaximumAstronomy
https://www.youtube.com/@frosthastrophotography/

00:00 Start
00:26 [@9999Joppe] Could an ancient civilization cause the greenhouse effect on Venus?
01:53 [@curtishorn1267] Dark matter is not a theory
12:11 [@evo1ov3] What is the Great Attractor?
16:22 [@brentcalaway] Missions to lava tubes

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